New York, Aug 29 (AP) Naomi Osaka is progressing steadily at the U.S. Open, reaching the third round for the first time since her victory here in 2021, her second title at Flushing Meadows.
She's showcasing impressive form under the tutelage of a new coach, but Osaka remains understated about her expectations. “Honestly, I don't really know. I don't make it my business to know anymore. I kind of just leave it up in the air,” said Osaka, the 23rd seed, following her convincing 6-3, 6-1 victory over Hailey Baptiste in a swift 70 minutes on Thursday. “For me, I realize that I've done everything that I could. I've trained really hard. I practiced really hard. If it happens, it happens.”
Osaka’s four Grand Slam titles have all come on hard courts: twice each at the U.S. Open and the Australian Open. Since her 2020 triumph in New York, she's faced varied results here: a third-round exit in 2021, a first-round defeat in 2022, and a second-round departure last year.
The hard court surface complements Osaka’s strong serves and aggressive baseline play, a strategy she effectively used against Baptiste while also demonstrating versatility with mixed speeds and spins.
Another skill Osaka is capitalizing on is her return game, which puts her opponents on the back foot. This tournament, she's already clinched 11 of the 18 return games, including a first-round win over Greet Minnen with a score of 6-3, 6-4.
Following her third-round exit at Wimbledon last month, Osaka parted ways with coach Patrick Mouratoglou and teamed up with Tomasz Wiktorowski, previously associated with Iga Swiatek's team.
Wiktorowski's influence is evident as he encourages Osaka to concentrate on shot placement rather than frequent winners. This new approach seems to be effective. Osaka shared an amusing impression of her coach, saying, “Honestly, I didn't know him, I thought he was very scary, because he's very tall and he didn't smile,” she laughed. “Now that we're working together, I see that he smiles often. He has a very friendly smile, and it's very nice.”
Venus Williams' Doubles Victory Venus Williams, with partner Leylah Fernandez, secured her first U.S. Open women's doubles win since 2014. They ousted the sixth-seeded duo Lyudmyla Kichenok and Ellen Perez 7-6 (4), 6-3. This marks Williams' return to the tour after a 16-month hiatus.
Other U.S. Open Highlights On Thursday, Wimbledon champions Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner advanced, though Sinner found his victory against Alexei Popyrin more straightforward than Swiatek, who overcame Suzan Lamens 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. Coco Gauff overcame serving struggles and emotional moments to beat Donna Vekic 7-6 (5), 6-2. American Amanda Anisimova defeated Maya Joint 7-6 (2), 6-2. In the men's draw, No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev cruised past Jacob Fearnley 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, while 14th-seeded Tommy Paul battled for nearly 4 1/2 hours to defeat Nuno Borges 7-6 (6), 6-3, 5-7, 5-7, 7-5, finishing at 1:46 a.m.
Friday's Lineup at the U.S. Open Scheduled on Friday's slate are Carlos Alcaraz, the 2022 men's champion, and Jessica Pegula, the 2024 women's runner-up, in their third-round matches on Arthur Ashe Stadium during the day. The evening session features Novak Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam titleholder, against Cam Norrie. Later, American Taylor Townsend faces No. 5 seed Mirra Andreeva, the promising 18-year-old from Russia.
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